"I would defy anybody to identify this in a mix as an emulation, unless it was because it sounds too good to be the clunky original!"

The Nord Stage has undergone a major hardware change and also received a cosmetic makeover.  Introducing the Nord Stage EX.

The largest in the new EX range, the Nord Stage EX 88, receives an extremely detailed, 5-page review in the latest issue of Performing Musician magazine.

New features include twice the internal memory capacity compared to the former models, an increase from 128 to 256 MB, a new colour scheme and text printed on the front panel upper rim to indicate the position and function of the rear panel jacks.  The increased memory allows users to add more pianos from the Nord Stage Piano Library, to bring an even greater selection of these sounds to each and every performance.

Firstly Gordon Reid tackles the Pianos, "the Yamaha CP80 emulation is, tonally, the best that I have heard yet...the overall effect was amazingly accurate".

"I particularly liked the Mark I (Fender Rhodes) with tremolo and a bit of overdrive. I would defy anybody to identify this in a mix as an emulation, unless it was because it sounds too good to be the clunky original!"

On the Stage's organ sounds..., "For most players, the foremost of the EX's organ models will be its Hammond B3...When compared with a real Hammond, I found that it accurately reproduces the subtle inconsistencies of the original, as well as the gentle compression that affects a genuine tonewheel generator. What's more, the Hammond's 'wrap-round' is recreated, and usefully extended to the extremes of the EX's keyboard".

"...there's one area in which the EX improves significantly upon previous Nord's: its key click. This was so loud on the Electro and C1 as to make them unusable at times, but the click level is now the subject of a parameter in the EX's system menu and can be tamed with a few key presses".

Performing Musician also take an in-depth look at both effects sections and delays, "I was surprised to find myself liking this (Leslie speaker simulation) very much because I usually demand numerous parameters that I can tweak to taste. But for stage performance, Clavia's settings are well chosen, and the Drive effect is a standout feature, adding just the right effect, varying from a gentle purr to the wail of tortured valves".

"Next comes the delay, which has mono and stereo (ping-pong) modes, and offers controls for tempo and feedback...Simple though this section is, I had great fun with it, slamming out all manner of Keith Emerson-and Jon Lord-inspired organ licks."

To read the full review, pick up the April Issue of Performing Musician Magazine (Issue 19). The Nord Stage EX 88 is available now at £2599 RRP.